Hungarian Goulash

[In a really bad Russian accent] Here comrade, put some hairs on your chest with some good old eastern European food. Just like babushka used to make.*

Seriously though, if you ever struggled to grasp the meaning of the word moreish, make yourself a pot of this and thank me later.

*I only say this to annoy my Hungarian friends.

Ingredients:

• Oil/butter for frying
• 600g of diced beef (or a mixture of beef and pork)
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 tbsp of paprika
• 1 tsp of spicy paprika
• 1 tsp of ground caraway
• Salt and pepper, about a teaspoon of each
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 carrot
• A handful of fresh parsley
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• Water

1. Fry off the beef on a bit of oil or butter (or a mixture of both) in a pan, until it’s browned. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan – you may need to do it in batches. Once done, transfer to a large soup pot.
2. In the same pan (you may need to add some more oil), gloss the onions and transfer them to the soup pot together with the meat.
3. Add paprika, caraway, salt and pepper, and bay leaf. Fry together on low heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly to make sure the spices don’t burn.
4. Add just enough water to cover all the ingredients in the pot, cover and simmer for about an hour – or until the meat is tender.
5. Add tomato paste, garlic, parsley, carrots, potatoes and peppers, and again enough water to cover everything. Bring back to boil, and simmer until potatoes are cooked.
6. Taste and add more spices if necessary.

Moroccan Harira

A very aromatic, flavourful, hearty soup. One of my personal favourites. Make sure you get good quality lamb and you'll fall in love with this dish.

• Oil/butter, for frying
• 500g of diced lamb
• 1 chopped onion
• 3 tbsp of fresh coriander, plus extra for garnish
• 3 tbsp of fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp of ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp of ground turmeric
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 400g can of chopped tomatoes
• 75g of green lentils
• 400g (240g drained) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 75g of vermicelli
• 2 egg yolks
• Juice of ½ lemon

1. Fry off the lamb on a bit of oil or butter (or a mixture of both) in a pan, until it’s browned. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan – you may need to do it in batches. Once done, transfer to a large soup pot.
2. In the same pan (you may need to add some more oil), gloss the onions and transfer them to the soup pot together with the meat.
3. Add coriander, parsley and the spices. Mix and fry for a couple of minutes on low heat, stirring constantly to make sure the spices don’t burn.

4. Add the tomatoes, mix and cook together for about 5 minutes.
5. Add enough water to cover everything and simmer for about an hour.
6. Add more water again (about 1l), and add the lentils. Cook for further 30 min.
7. Add the chickpeas and cook until they’re soft (15-20ish minutes).
8. Add the vermicelli. Cook for 5 minutes (or however long it tells you to cook them on the packet). 9. If the soup is too thick at this point, add more water again.
10. Whisk the egg yolks and about half of the lemon juice together. Pour into the soup as it’s simmering, mixing constantly, and immediately take off the heat. Mix through until the yolk is fully incorporated into the soup.
11. Taste it and season/add the rest of the lemon juice if necessary.
12. Serve with a sprinkling of fresh coriander.

It's like Mac 'n Cheese, only with flavour.

A much, much better version of the old time classic (she said, humbly). The flavours are subtle but work perfectly to add a bit of character to the dish.

• 3 Tbsp of slightly salted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red chilli, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• A small bunch of chopped fresh coriander
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp of ground allspice
• 1/2tsp of ground cinnamon
• 3 Tbsp of plain flour
• 500ml of whole milk
• 250g of grated mature cheddar
• salt and pepper, to taste
• macaroni
• 1 tbsp of chopped fresh mint

1. Gloss the onion on the butter
2. Add the coriander, garlic, chilli, bay leaf and spices. Fry on low heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add the flour and mix in.
4. Add the milk, little by little, mixing it in as you go. Once you've added all the milk in, simmer it for another 5 min or so, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.
5. Add in the cheese and mix in until it's dissolved. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
6. Add in the mint and stir in.
7. Boil the macaroni in a pot of salted water as per the instructions on the package.
8. Add the cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce and mix in until it's evenly coated.